


Shifting Sands

by Commander_Ferro



Series: Shifting Sands [1]
Category: Marvel (Comics), V (1983)
Genre: F/M
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2018-10-19
Updated: 2018-10-19
Packaged: 2019-08-04 08:35:42
Rating: General Audiences
Warnings: Creator Chose Not To Use Archive Warnings
Chapters: 1
Words: 6,254
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/16343480
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/Commander_Ferro/pseuds/Commander_Ferro
Summary: The aliens from the original "V" series invade a Marvel Comics AU.  Pretty much all original characters except for existing characters having lesser roles.





	Shifting Sands

**Author's Note:**

> First version of this was written way back in 1983 or 1984 but has significantly evolved. Original characters are: Kevin Young, Ted McCarthy, Pamela Stark, and Marina Droski.

“Kev, buddy, what’s goin’ on?”  
Kevin Young had his head tilted and fingers at his temple. There was a look of pain on his face. When he heard the voice of his friend, Kevin tried to cover it up by brushing a hand through his golden blonde hair. He put a smile on as his hand dropped to his side.  
“I’m okay, Teddy,” Kevin replied. “Just thinking.”  
“Thinking,” Ted questioned. “Or another one of those headaches you’ve been getting lately?”  
“I’m okay, dude.”  
“Actually, what you are,” Ted began, moving very close to Kevin. “Is shorter. What’s up with that?”  
It was true. Kevin had always been a few inches taller than Ted. Now, in some way that could not be explained, Ted stood several inches taller. Kevin had lost roughly six inches in height.  
“What the fuck,” Kevin exclaimed.“How could this happen?!”  
An intense migraine hit Kevin and he collapsed on the ground. It lasted for several minutes before subsiding. When he stood up once more, Kevin was again the taller of the two.  
“Whoa,” Ted exclaimed. “You’re back to normal.”  
Kevin shook his head.  
“You must have been standing on something,” Kevin said. “That makes more sense than me shrinking.”  
“Maybe not.”  
“What does that mean?”  
Ted looked around. There were enough other students nearby that Ted felt uncomfortable. He gestured for Kevin to follow and then went around the corner of the school. Bewildered, Kevin followed his friend.  
When he rounded the corner, Kevin saw a swirl of energy emanating from Ted’s palms. As he constricted his hands, the energy seemed to pulse. Then he closed his hands and it vanished.  
“What the hell was that?”  
“When I was a kid, there was an accident. It was some kind of experimental thing. I’m not really sure about all the details. All I know is that it was killing me. Dad threw all his money at curing me but nothing helped. Then this guy named Doctor Paine showed up. Weird name for a doctor, right? I guess he used to be a super-hero or something called the Black Fox. He came up with a way to stabilize the energy inside of me. Instead of killing me I ended up with superpowers of my own. It took some time to figure out how they worked, and Doctor Paine stuck around until that happened, but I’ve got full control of them now. Not that I do much of anything with them.”  
“Wow,” said Kevin. “That’s really awesome. But I’m not sure what this has to do with me. Unless you’re saying you used your powers to do something to me.”  
“No, dummy,” Ted responded. “I’m saying maybe you have powers of your own.”  
“What, to shrink six inches when I get migraines?”  
“Mutants usually get their powers during adolescence. I’ve heard that a lot of times it starts with headaches until the abilities fully manifest.”  
“You’re saying I’m a mutant?”  
“I’m not saying anything but it fits the profile. Come to think of it, I also got headaches. Maybe whatever the cause of superpowers you get headaches when they start to show up.”  
“Hmm…” Kevin mused. He was thinking of possibilities. “Maybe I can talk to Uncle Tony. I mean, he made the Iron Man armor. He probably met other heroes like the Avengers.”  
“I’m sure Tony Stark has more than enough money to throw at the problem if he wanted to.”  
“No doubt.”  
“Speaking of Starks, how are things going with Pamela?”  
Pamela Stark was the niece of Tony Stark. She was currently living with him on his estate in Malibu. Pamela was not, as some might have thought, Kevin’s cousin. Though he referred to Tony as his uncle, that was merely because he had known the man his entire life. Kevin’s father had known Tony since childhood. When Kevin’s parents had died, Tony took a special interest in Kevin. Then, once he had relocated to California, he brought Kevin in as a paid intern at his most recent venture, Circuits Maximus. That was not simply Tony being nice; Kevin had a keen intellect that Tony felt he could help develop in the right environment.  
It was then that Kevin met Pamela. The two spent a lot of time together. They generally kept their relationship quiet, but people like Ted McCarthy, one of Kevin’s closest friends, had been privy to it.  
“Good,” Kevin replied. “Real good. She is one amazing girl.”  
“I’ll bet.”  
“What about you and Marina? You spend an awful lot of time around her.”  
Ted blushed. Though he came from considerable wealth and was handsome enough, Ted had always lacked a certain kind of confidence when it came to the opposite sex.  
“I think she likes me.”  
“Really? Ya think? The girl can’t keep her hands off of you!”  
That just made Ted turn scarlet red. Kevin could almost feel the heat.  
“I’m just not sure.”  
“Get sure! Go ask her on a date. Hell, you could make it a double date with me and Pamela if that’s what it takes!”  
“You think so? I mean, really? I can’t figure women out.”  
“Of course not because you don’t talk to them! Now go find Marina and ask her on a date. Make it Friday night. No excuses. I’m going to call Pamela right now and tell her the plan.”  
Ted sighed and his color began to return to normal. The truth was that he did want to ask Marina out and was reasonably sure that she would agree. He just had fear that he wasn’t good enough. He didn’t have the same good looks, charisma and personality as his older brother, Harrison. The same had been true with his sisters, Janelle, the elder, and the younger Courtney.  
“Okay, I’ll do it.”  
As if to prevent himself from backing out, Ted pulled out his mobile phone and started texting. It read: Hey, Marina, what’s up? Do u have plans 4 Fri nite?”  
“The response was immediate: “No, what’s going on Friday?”  
“I was hoping you’d like to go out with me. Kevin and Pamela, too.”  
“I’ll talk with my parents tonight but I would very much like that.”  
“Great. TTYL.”  
“She’s interested,” Ted said. “Got to ask her parents.”  
“Cool. I’ll square things with Pamela but Tony never gives her any trouble, especially if he knows she’s with me or Amanda.”  
“All right, well, lunch is just about over. Better get going to class.”  
“We’ll talk later and confirm.”

The trek out to Silicon Valley was never fun for Kevin, but that was the home of Circuits Maximus. Kevin didn’t get to choose the location. It was where all the tech startups went.  
When Kevin entered the building, Clytemnestra Erwin greeted him with a warm smile.  
“How was school today,” Cly asked.  
“Good. Got my buddy Ted set up on a double date Friday night.”  
“Oh, really? And who are you taking?”  
Kevin blushed. The woman wasn’t stupid or blind. She didn’t fail to notice the looks exchanged between he and Pamela.  
“Well, uh, Pamela and I are going to go with him. For support.”  
“Mmmhmm. Anything for your buddy, is that it?”  
“Um, sure. Hey, is Uncle Tony here?”  
“In his lab. Don’t spend too much time with him. You have a project to work on and it’s on a schedule.”  
“Got it. I’ll be quick.”  
Kevin walked down the hallway and got into an elevator that took him down a few levels to Tony Stark’s private lab. This was where he did most of his work, including creating the latest version of the Iron Man armor.  
“Hey, Uncle Tony,” Kevin greeted.  
“Hi, Kevin,” Tony responded. “Everything okay?”  
Something must have shown on Kevin’s face. He was very tense and fidgety. Rather than respond, he perused the lab.  
“What are you working on?”  
“Kevin, I can see the tension in your body and I know that you have work to do. Want to tell me what’s going on?”  
Kevin did not want to explain himself but knew he had little choice in the matter.  
“Something weird happened at school today,” he finally said.  
“Weird in what way?”  
“You know the headaches I’ve been getting?”  
“The ones you’ve been failing to cover up? Yes. What of them?”  
“Today….well, today I shrunk.”  
“Shrunk?”  
“Yeah, shrunk. About six inches. It happened right after one of those headaches. Then I had another really intense one and grew back to my normal height.”  
“What makes you so certain you shrank?”  
“I was standing next to Ted. I was suddenly shorter than him. Then I was taller again.”  
“Hmm….well, genetics isn’t my field but I do have some scanning equipment and plenty of friends to more thoroughly read the results. Strip down to your underwear and get into my scanner.”  
Kevin thought that all sounded very strange but complied. The scanner was an upright tube. Once inside, he was bombarded by all manner of strange lights. A needle stretched out and took a sample of his blood. Kevin was poked and prodded by all kinds of probes. Finally it all stopped and the tube opened to let him out.  
“Holy shit,” Tony said.  
“What is it? Am I dying?”  
“Oh, no, nothing like that. You’re in perfect condition. You definitely show positive for superhuman abilities.”  
“Am I a mutant?”  
“No….” Tony paused. “Kevin, is there any possibility that you could have been adopted?”  
“What? No! I’ve seen videos of my mom being pregnant with me. Dad even filmed my birth. Why would you ask that?”  
“The scanners are showing DNA markers that are very familiar to me and they are not those of Jeffrey and Clarissa Young.”  
“Then who?”  
Tony took a deep breath. He was uneasy about what he was about to reveal but he felt as though he had to be honest.  
“It’s a match for two people I know very well. Dr. Henry Pym and Janet van Dyne.”  
“Who are they?”  
“Hank has used a few names: Ant-Man, Giant-Man, Goliath and Yellowjacket. Janet is the Wasp. They’re Avengers.”  
“What? But that’s crazy! How could that be possible?”  
Tony had a faraway look in his eyes as though he were trying to remember something important.  
“I have an idea but I can’t imagine how it could have happened.”  
“What’s the idea?”  
“Get dressed. We’re going to the Avengers Compound. I need to get in direct contact with Janet.”  
“How do we get to the Avengers Compound?”  
“Simple. I put on my Iron Man armor and fly us in.”  
A look of shock crossed Kevin’s face. He had never guessed that Tony actually was Iron Man. He honestly thought Iron Man was Tony’s bodyguard, subject to change, who was outfitted by Stark himself.  
While Kevin dressed, Tony got into the armor. This latest model was red and silver, a departure from the orange and gold of every model since the second.  
Before putting the helmet in place, Tony made a call on the intercom.  
“Cly, I’ve gotta run out. I’m taking Kevin with me. We’re using the private exit. We’ll talk later and I’ll make sure Kevin gets back on schedule.”  
He didn’t wait for a response, putting the helmet on and locking it in place. Then he picked Kevin up and flew them up through a tube access that brought them to ground level a mile away from Circuits Maximus.  
The trip to Avengers Compound didn’t take long. The Iron Man armor had the capability of extending an energy field to protect any passengers from the rigors of high speed travel. They touched down near the entrance to the Compound. Kevin had caught sight of two archers outside. One must have been Hawkeye but he had no idea who the other could be.  
“Who was that with Hawkeye,” Kevin asked.  
Tony - or Iron Man - sighed.  
“Maybe you’ll meet him someday,” Iron Man responded. “He’s about your age.”  
“Really? But he was wearing a costume!”  
“He’s sort of a protege of Hawkeye’s. An orphan, but one who is well-trained in archery.”  
“An orphan….”  
It reminded Kevin that he had lost his own parents, even as he might be discovering they weren’t his real parents after all.  
Iron Man took Kevin straight to the communications room. They passed a few of the Avengers along the way but Iron Man didn’t stop to make introductions.  
Connecting with the East Coast team, the Wasp herself showed on screen. She smiled when she saw Iron Man.  
“How are you doing, T--Iron Man,” the Wasp asked.  
“Janet,” said Iron Man. “It’s wonderful to see you. You’re just who I was looking for.”  
“What’s up?”  
“First, let me introduce you to Kevin Young. His father and I grew up together and I’ve been looking after him lately.”  
“Hello, Kevin.”  
“Hi, um, Ms. Wasp,” Kevin stammered.  
“Oh, silly boy. Call me Janet.”  
Kevin smiled but wasn’t sure how comfortable he would be calling the Wasp - possibly his mother - by her first name.  
“Janet,” Iron Man began. “I need to ask you some very possibly uncomfortable questions.”  
“I’m not sure I understand. And what does it have to do with Kevin?”  
“Janet, did you and Hank ever have a child together?”  
At first Janet looked surprised, then shocked, and finally angered.  
“Who told you that,” Janet shouted. “That is none of your business! I lost that child! Do you think this is funny?”  
“Janet! I wasn’t looking to upset you and no one told me. I had no idea until today.”  
“Oh, and where did you hear that? Is this boy saying he’s my son?”  
“No. Look, Kevin came to me because he was having an unusual experience. I scanned him and the genetics came back compatible with both you and Hank. As far as Kevin or I knew the people who raised him were his biological parents. Now it seems that may not have been true.”  
The Wasp was silent for a full minute. She was processing the information.  
“What kind of unusual experience,” she finally asked.  
“Perhaps it would be better if Kevin told you.”  
Kevin related the events from earlier in the day. He talked about how he hadn’t really even believed it had happened and how Ted convinced him it might be possible. Then he discussed how he had brought it to Tony and learned less than an hour ago how his ‘Uncle Tony’ was Iron Man.  
The Wasp seemed much calmer, even sympathetic to Kevin’s plight. That didn’t mean she necessarily believed he was her son but she also hadn’t ruled it out.  
“I think more tests are in order,” said the Wasp. “I would be willing to provide blood and I’m sure Hank would be willing to do the same.”  
“There were Pym Particles in his system,” Iron Man said. “They seem to be attached to his DNA strand. In essence, they suffuse every part of his being in ways that aren’t part of you and Hank. To me this suggests he was born with these abilities.”  
“A mutant?”  
“No active x-factor that I could detect. No exposure to mutagens. Exactly the sort of thing some of us expected might happen when two mutated humans have children.”  
“You have to understand. I delivered a stillborn baby. It wasn’t crying when it came out of my womb. I buried that child. Hank and I kept it quiet because it was too painful. Now, when you bring the boy before me….it brings up all sorts of questions. If Kevin is my son, how did he survive? And who did I bury?”  
“I don’t know the answers, Janet. I can only conjecture that if Kevin is your son then the child you buried may have been the son of Jeffrey and Clarissa Young.”  
The Wasp was silent.  
“Let’s run the tests. I….believe your story is likely true but let’s be sure. Kevin, I’m sorry to put you through this. We’ll sort this out. Whether or not you turn out to be my son I assure you I’ll do whatever I can to help you understand your powers.”  
“Thank you,” Kevin responded. “This is….confusing to me. It was hard when I lost my parents. To think that maybe they weren’t even my real parents….”  
“Oh, honey, nothing can take that away from you. They raised you and loved you. No matter what, they are your real parents. If nothing else, your family might just be getting a little bigger.”  
Kevin nodded but was unsettled. The changes in himself and maybe his very identity was undergoing radical revision.  
“Thanks, Janet,” Iron Man said. “We’ll be in touch.”  
Iron Man signed off and the monitor went blank. Then he turned to look at Kevin.  
“Are you up to going back to Circuits Maximus,” Iron Man asked. “If not, maybe you want to lounge by the pool? I suspect by now you might have some questions for me.”  
“I….left my school books at the lab,” Kevin responded. “Cly won’t be happy if I get behind schedule.”  
“Clytemnestra will be just fine.”  
“Does Pamela know about who you are?”  
Iron Man paused as though contemplating a much deeper question.  
“No. Pamela and I perhaps have a number of things we might want to discuss.”  
“I guess maybe….I don’t think I can focus much work on CM today.”  
“Okay. We’ll grab your bag and you can come back to the house with me. That sound good to you?”  
“Sure,” said Kevin. “Can I invite Ted over? I won’t tell him about you being Iron Man but the stuff about me….I need a friend.”  
“Whatever you want, kiddo.”

Days passed and little changed. Kevin got back into his project at Circuits Maximus. There were no further headaches or changes in size. Kevin was beginning to think it was all a dream except that other people were involved who had confirmed the truth of the matter.  
When Friday night came the double date was on. Kevin set aside all of his prior concerns and he and Ted agreed not to bring up events from earlier in the week. This was just going to be a night of fun for Kevin, Ted, Pamela and Marina.  
“How was your week,” Pamela asked Kevin. “I wish we went to the same school.”  
“It was okay,” Kevin responded. “I actually got a glimpse of one of Tony’s suits in mid-creation. It was a prototype for the next Iron Man armor. Kind of cool.”  
“Wow. He never showed me any of that stuff.”  
“You’re not a tech nerd like me.”  
Pamela laughed. Kevin was a ‘nerd’ in the sense that he was very intelligent and scientifically-inclined but he was also athletic and handsome. If anything, his profile was more like that of Tony Stark except that he wasn’t a womanizer and didn’t like to drink.  
“I’m a ‘nerd’, too,” Marina said. “Only I enjoy the biological sciences most of all. I would be happy to discover a new species or study extraterrestrials.”  
“Anything is possible in this world,” Ted commented.  
“That’s for sure,” said Kevin. “The world is a very strange place.”  
“Maybe if you’re lucky,” Pamela said with a twinkle in her eye. “You’ll find exactly what you’re looking for.”

Tony had been feeling generous and had hired a limousine to drive the four teenagers wherever they wanted to go. It dropped off Marina first, then Ted, and was going to drop Pamela when she decided instead to spend the night at Uncle Tony’s place. He had room for her so it wasn’t a concern. Tony wasn’t home but that wasn’t unusual.  
The two spent some time kissing and cuddling. The sex topic had come up but both decided to put it off for the time being. If they couldn’t even be fully honest about the nature of their relationship then it was best to hold off on taking it to another level.  
It was while kissing that something changed. The intense emotions triggered Kevin and all of a sudden he was no more than a few inches tall. Pamela was startled but perhaps not nearly as much as Kevin might have expected. In fact, Kevin might have been the more upset of the two.  
“This is new,” said Pamela. “Ever happen before?”  
“N-no,” Kevin replied. Pamela had to bend down close to hear him. “Well, kind of. A little. Just once earlier this week but I only shrunk a few inches that time. I can’t control it.”  
“Have you tried? Close your eyes and imagine yourself back at your normal height. See if that works.”  
Kevin closed his eyes and tried to concentrate. It did not come easily but eventually he was restored to normal.  
“Why do you seem like this is normal for you?”  
Pamela sighed. It was possibly a conversation she hadn’t been looking to have but events had changed her mind.  
“I’m a mutant. I’m really lucky, really agile, and I have hand-eye-coordination like you wouldn’t believe. Maybe I shouldn’t say this, but Amanda is also a mutant. She’s strong and tough. I’ve also got a couple other friends who are special in their own way. We hang out together and fight bad guys.”  
“Fight bad guys? Like a super-hero or something?”  
“Yes, I suppose so.”  
“Do you wear costumes and stuff?”  
“Oh, yeah.”  
“How come you never told me?”  
“Because it involved the secrets of other people. Once I start to tell you about myself it ends up involving Amanda, Scott, and a couple of others. We made a pact. I guess I’ve kind of broken it a little but I can’t say more without an okay from the rest of the gang.”  
“Secret identity stuff?”  
“Exactly.”  
“Hmm….well, there’s a possibility that my...my parents might be super-heroes.”  
Pamela looked confused. She knew Kevin’s parents were dead.  
“Your parents were super-heroes? What makes you think so?”  
“There were some tests Uncle Tony did on me. I guess because of his connections to Iron Man he came up with a genetic match. He said that the Wasp and Yellowjacket - or Ant-Man, Goliath or Giant-Man - are my real parents. We talked to the Wasp and, well, it’s possible.”  
“Did they give you up for adoption? But that doesn’t make sense. I saw the videos of the pregnancy and your birth.”  
“Here’s the thing. The Wasp gave birth to a child the same day I was born and in the same hospital. That baby died as far as she knew. Maybe, somehow, there was a switch at the hospital. I don’t know how. We’re going to do some tests to confirm it.”  
“Wow, that’s amazing. You know, based on the little experience I’ve had so far in super-heroics, that’s not as far-fetched as you might think. If there was a switch….it may not have been an accident.”  
“Who would do that?”  
“Ultron, Kang, the Supreme Intelligence, the Skrulls….the list could go on and on. As for motives, it’s hard to figure out why the bad guys do what they do. Probably some failed plot, or one that spans longer than your life so far.”  
“That’s pretty scary to think about.”  
Pamela sighed again. There was more.  
“About Uncle Tony,” Pamela began. “I’m pretty sure he’s Iron Man.”  
Kevin nodded his head.  
“He is. He - as Iron Man - brought me to the Avengers Compound.”  
“That’s what I thought. I, um, also think he’s my father.”  
“What? For real?!”  
“One of my teammates is a time traveler. On one of our missions it brought us back to the days we were conceived. I mean, we didn’t see it happen but I definitely saw Uncle Tony with….my mother. Based on what I saw, it was just before my parents married. They were both drunk but I don’t think it was the only time. For whatever reason my mother was sleeping with Tony Stark but chose to marry Gregory Stark.”  
“Do you think he knows?”  
“Yes. I think that’s why he’s shown so much interest in me. I don’t think my father knows though. He loves me and my mother too much for me to believe he has any idea.”  
“Are you going to talk to Uncle Tony?”  
“Eventually, but it’s not important right now. I love my father. If it got back to him it would destroy him. I don’t want that to happen.”  
Kevin pulled Pamela close and hugged her.

Kevin was nervous. Meeting Hank Pym, the man who just might be biological father, put him a little on edge. He was also feeling a rather peculiar itching along his shoulder blades but dismissed it as nerves.  
Hank Pym approached, a nervous smile on his face. Considering what Kevin knew of him - which was that he was a scientist who had discovered how to alter his size, as well as to communicate with ants - Kevin had expected a more confident man. However, it had been years since Pym had played the part of the hero. It could be that something had happened to him to make him this way.  
“You must be Kevin,” Hank said, extending a hand outward.  
“Um, yeah,” Kevin responded, taking the hand. “Kevin Young. You must be Doctor Pym.”  
“Janet has told me about you. You could be Jonathan….”  
“Let’s not get ahead of ourselves,” said Tony. “The tests I ran did seem conclusive but I’m not a geneticist.”  
“Yes, of course. We’ll get to it.”  
Kevin saw a light in Hank’s eyes when he mentioned Jonathan. The idea of Kevin being his son caused a change. Kevin wondered what it would do to Pym should he prove to be Jonathan.  
“I guess we should do this,” said Kevin.  
“Yes. Take a seat. I’ll prep the needle. You just give me your right arm.”  
“No clear tube while I’m stripped down to my underwear this time?”  
Hank gave Tony a curious look.  
“I don’t know what your Uncle Tony used but comparing our blood will give me all the information I need. Our technology is ahead of the curve so it will only take minutes to get results.”

When the results came in, Hank tried to keep a stoic face but it didn’t last long. Tears began to form in his eyes as he turned to look in Kevin.  
“You’re my son,” Hank said. “You’re my son!”  
Hank rushed over to Kevin and took him in an embrace. He held the teenager so tightly that he thought he wouldn’t be able to breathe. It brought conflicting emotions to Kevin. On the one hand, he had living, breathing parents again. On the other, he wondered if it would dishonor the people who raised him if he were to accept Hank Pym and Janet van Dyne into his life.  
When Hank finally let go he saw that Kevin was unsure.  
“Kevin,” Tony said. “Jeffrey Young was my best friend. I was best man when he married Clarissa. I was at your christening. Your parents made me your godfather even though I’m an atheist. If there’s one thing I know it’s that your parents would be overjoyed to know what there were even more people in the world to love you and care for you.”  
Kevin looked up at his Uncle Tony. He knew everything just said was the truth. That didn’t mean he felt any better about it just yet but he knew he could at least make the effort to get to know his biological parents. It helped to know that they had never made the choice to give him up and that no one had ever lied to him. Somehow, whether by accident or design, he had been switched with a boy who died.  
“Okay,” said Kevin. “How do we do this? I don’t really want to move to New York. I’m happy here. I’ve got my best friend, Ted….and a girlfriend.”  
Kevin gave a sly look toward Tony when he said that last part. Tony smirked, suggesting this wasn’t news to him.  
Hank nodded his head. This was all a big upheaval for Kevin emotionally and he didn’t want to lose all of his anchors. Plus, the fact that he had just learned he had special powers was a big enough change.  
“Have you got room on the West Coast Avengers for me, Tony,” Hank asked.  
“Probably,” said Tony. “I’m sure Clint would love to have you. Who would be joining us? I think we have all of your identities except Yellowjacket being used.”  
“I think Yellowjacket could use some redemption.”  
“Listen, Hank,” said Tony. “There’s room at my place until you find one of your own. That would give you the chance to get to know Kevin a little better and maybe even teach him how to use his powers. Odds are that if he can shrink he can grow. Maybe there are even wings in there.”  
“Wings,” Kevin questioned.  
“Sure, Janet has wings. They only appear when she shrinks.”  
“Oh. Say, I’ve been feeling this weird itch on my shoulder blades. Could that be the wings?”  
Tony and Hank looked at each other and then Kevin.  
“Take off your shirt,” Hank instructed.  
When Kevin complied, he turned the boy around and felt along his shoulder blades. Sure enough there was a distinct ridge underneath. It wasn't noticeable from casual view but there was something there.  
“Kevin, shrink down.”  
Kevin concentrated and shrank down to a very small side. As expected, insect-like wings sprouted from his back. Kevin flew up into the air, moving in circles. Then he landed and resumed his normal height. The wings retracted back inside as he did so.  
“Amazing,” said Tony. “You’ve probably also got the bioelectric sting.”  
“Bio-what,” Kevin asked.  
“The sting the Wasp uses. Hank as well after he became Yellowjacket. You seem to have acquired all of their other powers.”  
The thought was both intriguing and scary. If he had these powers he could follow in the footsteps of his godfather, his biological parents, and even his girlfriend. Kevin wasn’t sure that was what he wanted for himself but the idea was compelling.  
“How would I access that, um, sting if I had it?”  
“Concentrate,” Hank responded. “Imagine the energy welling up in your hands. Close your eyes and visualize it happening. It’ll flow through you.”  
Kevin closed his eyes. He imagined the power coming to him but instead of focusing in his hands it seemed to manifest as an aura throughout his entire body. When Kevin opened his eyes he could see that he was glowing.  
“You could do this,” Kevin asked Hank.  
“No, but let’s go outside. Power down first and then bring it up again when we get to the courtyard.”  
“How can I have powers you don’t?”  
“You have an x-factor in your genes. I would have guessed it wasn’t active.”  
“I didn’t detect an active x-factor when I scanned last week,” said Tony.  
“I think it’s active now.”  
“So I’m a mutant? Shit.”  
“It’s okay,” said Hank. “It seems to be the norm that children of superhumans mutate. Mutants are simply a subspecies of humanity, or perhaps more accurately the potential of the human race unveiled.”  
“I just meant, it’s an adjustment. But….my girlfriend is a mutant.”  
“Pamela is a mutant,” Tony questioned. “That would explain some things about Ava.”  
“Pamela’s mother?”  
“She always had an unusual quality about her. Almost bewitching. If it did turn out she were a mutant it wouldn’t be surprising.”  
“Tony,” said Hank. “You have a latent x-gene yourself. I doubt it would ever become active in your lifetime but you might pass it on if you ever had children.”  
Kevin gave Tony a peculiar look. He wondered if Hank knew the truth or was simply making a comment to allay Kevin’s anxiousness over being a mutant.  
“Uncle Tony isn’t the settle down type,” said Kevin.  
“No, I suppose not. To be honest, Janet also has a latent x-gene. That’s no doubt why you’re a mutant.”  
“This has me thinking,” said Tony. “Kevin and Pamela both possess powers. Clint is training another teenager. I’m sure there are others out there. I wonder if training them might be the way to go. We could open a school like Xavier’s.”  
“I can think of at least one more candidate,” Kevin interjected.  
“Who?”  
“Ted. He calmed me down about my height changed by showing me what he could do.”  
“That’s four. A modified Cerebro could probably find us more but I don’t think it will be necessary. Where there are four there will be more.”

The sound of his alarm clock woke Kevin. He slammed down the snooze button. When it next sounded he clicked it off and got up. Kevin walked out of his room in only a pair of boxer briefs. He went down the hall to use the bathroom. When he emerged, he could hear the sounds of the television downstairs. It was unusual for it to be on at this time. Tony was usually gone.  
As Kevin descended the steps into the living room, the television came into view. It wasn’t anything available on the market. It was a holographic image that floated in the air.  
The image Kevin saw was of a large round ship hovering over Los Angeles. A reporter was explaining how there had been no communication with the ship. A bar at the bottom of the screen said it had materialized 20 minutes earlier. There had been no sign of it approaching or entering Earth’s atmosphere. It simply appeared as though it had been cloaked and then became visible.  
“Tony,” Kevin called out. “Have you seen this?”  
Tony emerged from the kitchen with two cups of coffee in hand. He handed one to Kevin.  
“I saw it,” Tony said. “School is cancelled. CM is closed. The Avengers are on high alert. I’m about to jump in the shower and suit up as Iron Man. I suggest you also take a shower. I’d like to bring you with me to Avengers Compound. I don’t know how safe it is anymore. The Compound has safe areas and defenses. If there’s anyplace around where you’d be protected it’s at the Compound.”  
“But I have powers now.”  
“You’re not trained to use them, much less to fight if it came to that.”  
Kevin nodded his head. He knew Uncle Tony was looking out for him the way he always had. Nothing had changed.  
“What about Pamela,” Kevin asked.  
A troubled look crossed Tony’s face.  
“I can’t reach her. Let’s get ready. We’ll keep trying.”  
Kevin ran up the stairs. He went into his room and grabbed his cell phone. He pressed the button to call Pamela. After one or two rings he received an “all circuits are busy” message. He tried a few more times with the same result before giving up.  
Kevin rushed into the bathroom and took the quickest shower of his life. Once he got out, he rapidly dried and combed his hair. He grabbed a few toiletries and ran to his room. Kevin threw them in a duffle bag along with a small selection of clothes. Then he put on some clothes himself and ran downstairs, all the while attempting to reach his girlfriend.  
“Uncle Tony,” Kevin said to his now-armored godfather. “Can’t you bypass regular phone lines and satellites to get to Pamela?”  
“Right now I can only reach people who have emergency protocol. That means the Avengers and other heroes, governments, special agencies and the like. I installed emergency protocol in your phone just in case but I wasn’t able to get it into Pamela’s phone.”  
This made Kevin nervous. He knew in all probability that Pamela was likely to investigate with her other super-hero friends. An alien invasion, if that’s what this was, might be more than she could handle.  
“Pamela’s a super-hero,” Kevin blurted out.  
“What,” Tony questioned, more in surprise than anything else.  
“She goes out with Amanda and some others. If they decided to investigate….”  
Tony paused, thinking. “First things first. I want you safe at the Avengers Compound. Then I’ll go searching for her.”  
“You want to wait, even though she’s your daughter?”  
Once again Tony was at a loss for words. “This is a discussion for another time. Regardless of what my relationship might be to Pamela I still need you safe. I’m not risking your life or mine. I’d have to keep an eye on you rather than any potential threats.”  
Kevin knew he’d lost this battle. “Okay. Let’s go.”  
Tony scooped Kevin into his arms and flew them off to Avengers Compound. Hank Pym, costumed as Yellowjacket, showed relief at seeing Kevin.  
“Oh, thank God,” said his father. “Even knowing Iron Man was bringing you I had no idea if you might be harmed along the way.”  
“I’m fine. Tony is going to look for my girlfriend - his niece. I want to be out there with him.”  
“I’ll tell you what,” said Hank. “I’ll go help Tony out. You stay here. Until you’re trained it’s not safe.”  
“We don’t even know if the aliens are enemies. They haven’t attacked.  
Hank looked ambivalent. “Stay here. If things seem okay then we can discuss you going outside. Why don’t you get to know Hawkeye’s protege? Maybe you and he could do something together. The sooner you know what to do the sooner you can join us in the field.”  
There was a glint in Kevin’s eye. He saw hope.


End file.
